The invention relates to a process for cutting sausages from a string of sausages by means of a cutting device to which the sausages linked together on the string of sausages are conveyed, and a separating point between two consecutive sausages is recognized with the aid of a sensor device, and to a device for this.
Devices for cutting sausages are known in diverse forms and embodiments and are obtainable commercially. Sausages nowadays are produced in such a manner that a skin, whether a natural or artificial skin, is filled with the appropriate sausage meat in sausage portions. Between the individual portions, the skin is rotated and/or clips, by means of which the individual sausages are divided from one another, are inserted. This produces a string of sausages from which the sausages have to be cut later, for example for the automatic packaging of a certain number of sausages. This still takes place nowadays in a highly complicated manner by hand or by means of machines, as are described, for example, in DE 43 18 301 A1 or DE 43 07 637 A1. In this case, the sausages are severed from the string of sausages at a cutting point, with the cutting point being recognized beforehand by a sensor. This may be a sensor as described in DE 43 18 301 A1 mentioned above, but other sensor devices are also conceivable, as described, for example, in DD 106 131 or DE-A 31 21 432.
Difficulties arise if only a certain number of sausages are to be severed from the string of sausages and supplied, for example, to a packaging device. Firstly, the absolutely continuous supplying of the sausages to a packaging machine operating in a portionwise manner has an unfavorable effect, generally causing a bottleneck to arise between the cutting machine and the packaging machine. Secondly, the indexing of the sausages on the string of sausages after the sensor device and, in particular, after passing through the cutting point is no longer correct, and so distortion and therefore inaccuracy may occur during the cutting operation.
The object of the present invention is to provide a process and a device of the abovementioned type, wherein a substantial improvement in the portionwise dispensing of sausages is obtained.